The Potter & His Clay: Marquee "P"

So I was minding my business on a Saturday during nap time while Matt stayed home with the sleeping babe. I was strolling through Hobby Lobby's aisles (naturally) full of shiny Christmas ornaments in July and feeling way too good about it. There was no particular reason why I was there, which happens way too often (rip bank account). Then I came across this clearance aisle. Like 90% off clearance. And then I saw it. The ginormous "P" that had...LIGHTS on it. I couldn't stop staring. I looked at the price tag. $180 on sale for...EIGHTEEN DOLLARS! I tried to walk away. I couldn't. I felt the need to strike up a conversation with everyone who came and went from the aisle. "It's nice isn't it...but WHERE would you put it?" "I don't know," they'd say then walk away probably thinking to themselves "um absolutely no where because it's ridiculous and the size of the entire herd of wildebeests that killed Mufasa." I walked to the nearby papercrafting aisle but the force was too strong. I was back. I needed it. It was the most obnoxious thing I'd seen in a while but I needed it. So I did it. I bought it. It barely (and I mean barely) fit in my car. I took it home and tried to play it cool. I left it in the garage at first. Then Matt saw it. He gave me his "Katie what the heck could you possibly be doing with that" look. I didn't know but it was so beautiful.

So here I am. Me, my garage and the giant letter "P". All of the sudden I felt the need to cover it in flowers. And paint it pink. This was it! The inspiration I was waiting for! I removed all of the lightbulbs. ALL of the LEDs then fell inside the "P". Apparently they were all being held in place by the empty bulbs. Dear Diary, my first setback. I now have a gigantic "P" covered in holes but no lights. I'll just paint it and pretend like that didn't happen. Maybe I'll think of a solution later.

Nap time again. I spray paint it pink. The spray paint runs out and it's splotchy. Clear solution to this one...sand paper. Make it look like it's supposed to be that way. It's "rustic." Yes...rustic. Kewl. Oh, the back comes off! This is perfect! I turn it over. I remove the back to expose all of the fallen lights. I use my heavy duty stapler and staple all of the lights in place. Surely this won't happen again. Meanwhile, why won't it turn on? Oh, when I removed the back I accidentally separated the light wires from the power source (the battery pack was attached to the backing). Dear Diary, things are getting worse.

Well at least the lights are now back in their place! It doesn't matter that they don't work, right? It matters. IT REALLY MATTERS! MATTTTTT! I put it in his office...inconspicuously. He gets home from work. "KATIE WHY IS YOUR GIANT "P" IN MY OFFICE?" "I love you. You're so good at sautering. PLEASE HELP ME MY WIRES HAVE COME LOSE (literally and metaphorically)!!" An hour passes. IT'S BACK! The Bachelorette is on. I bring my "P" into the living room to keep me company and to put it all back together. Some of the lights somehow fall in..again. I take the back off...again. This time a lot more gingerly than before. I somehow get the lights back in the correct spot and start putting the bulbs back in place. My little person P enters. She starts unscrewing the bulbs. She thinks it's hilarious. I, on the other hand, think it's past her bedtime!

So now the "P" looks exactly how it did when I purchased it but it has a splotchy pink paint job. I need to go back to Hobby Lobby. Oh no. How terrible (enter maniacal laughter). I buy 11 packages of tissue paper. I start making flowers. And more flowers. And more...flowers. I start hot gluing them in place. They fill up half of the "P." Why is it so big? Where am I going to put this? What have I done?

I return to Hobby Lobby. Maybe I planned that. Maybe.

15 packages of tissue paper and 113 flowers later...it is finished. I can't believe it. It needs leaves. I cut out leaves. I glue them in place.

This is it. It is finished. It's appx 192 lbs. It needs to be hung on the wall. Where am I going to put this again?

I'll just hang it above the bed in the playroom/spare oom/Presley's future big girl bedroom. It won't look weird there. Enter power tools. I hang it 3 different times. Why measure when you can eye ball it? Wrong. You should measure. You should always measure. Well...was this worth it? IT'S SO BIG!

Yes. It's even more obnoxious now than it was before. Worth it? I think so. Would I do it again? No. Absolutely not. SO MANY FLOWERS DID I MENTION THERE ARE ONE HUNDRED THIRTEEN OF THEM?

Well, while I'm at it. Here are some pictures of Presley's current playroom. We play in here every day and let it be known that this room usually looks like a massive bomb went off in it. Don't let it's perfectly displayed look in these pics fool you. It was nap time. ATTENTION: THESE ARE NOT REAL LIFE.